Songs From the Heart
by opalvampire
Summary: When Liana finally puts her heart into making her journey, she doesn't know what to expect. Who can predict the future anyway? Even so, her fate is already set...whether she knows it or not. But will her fragile heart be able to take it? Or will the burden of fate forever shatter her soul?
1. Prologue:The Ressurection of Team Rocket

**Here I am, publishing another fanfiction. Let's hope I can complete this one. Many times my inspiration comes and goes while I'm writing, even during this one. I actually started writing this one _months _ago, back in February, which was when I late _updated _this prologue. Though with this one, I already have nearly three chapters done. I was hoping to get more done before I posted, but as I mentioned before, my inspiration comes and goes. I'm hoping to redo my Narnia fic (unfortunately my old computer died and it had the documents on it, so I'm screwed in that department, but I want to try it again) and as for my StarFox and Rise of the Guardians...that inspiration is totaled. I don't think they have a chance anymore, but I'll keep what I have up there for people who still like it. And who knows, I might get rebooted some time down the road? Other than that, there are actually three or four other fanfictions I want to write and hope to publish.**

**But, seeing as I'm a pretty rabid Pokemon fan, and I've been wanting to _write _a story (because the games get bland once you start reading fanfiction, just my opinion), this might have some promise.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy.**

******The Resurrection of Team Rocket**

* * *

_Goldenrod City – Tunnel Basement_

The dark, cold metal of the walls gave a harsh gleam under the bright fluorescent lighting of the underground tunnels. Having to stare at it for days and weeks on end only angered Archer. He was through with having to continually waste away in this dank hell hole. He was tired of living in the shadows for the last near three years.

After the dissipation of Team Rocket three years ago, its members were left scattered, leaderless. And worst of all, most of them gave up. They willingly turned themselves in or decided to make _"a more honest living elsewhere". _That made Archer seethe; where was their passion? How could they have joined the organization in the first place if they were going to give up so easily?

Most of all, he was disgusted by the way his esteemed boss, Giovanni, could disband and abandon them all like this. Team Rocket was his life's work, and he had given it up after a simple battle against the likes of a Rookie Trainer like Red? Not even Archer could do such a thing. He had forsaken everything in his life for Team Rocket, and would do it all again if given the choice.

But it didn't matter much anymore. Archer never let himself throw Team Rocket away completely. He had worked hard for the last three years to bring Team Rocket back on its legs. Though, he could hardly have done it alone, not without the help of his Executives: Petrel, Proton and Ariana. Petrel had helped gather members both new and old with his charismatic tongue. Proton had made sure that the police were made to look the other way and when some of them just didn't want to, it was Ariana who eliminated them before they became a threat. Archer had put the three together as his executives for those specific reasons. They did their jobs and did them well, seeing as only three short years, Team Rocket's plans would come into full fruition. And better yet, there were few who knew of the organization's resurgence. Even the Indigo Plateau Champion had no more than trifling rumors without any solid evidence.

But soon Team Rocket was going to make their presence known. They had grown strong. Even the lowest grunts were made to be no pushovers, Archer made sure of that. He had personally trained every new recruit Petrel had given him during all his spare hours. All of them had the passion and strength as they did when Giovanni was leader. And Archer also made sure that they wouldn't go running until things were absolutely over and done. They had every right to be as ruthless and cruel as they wanted and worry of no consequences.

_Though, it is doubtful one could be as ruthless as Ariana._ Archer thought with a smirk. He liked that in a woman. Though her arrogance sometimes made him grit his teeth and her confidence sometimes bordered on narcissism. She wasn't at all like-

_No, that's all in the past. And I will_ not _go back._ Archer shook his head. Over the last week, Archer had been visited by images of his former family. He hadn't seen them in eight years, but he remembered every detail of their faces so suddenly. Once he had a fleeting wonder of what they looked like now, but before the thought was finished, it had been shaken away._ Team Rocket is, and will be, my only family._

It was time to leave the pathetically small space he called an _office_, once and for all. Archer activated his communicator. "Proton. It's time. Take your team to Azalea Town."

Proton's baritone answered. "Yes sir."

Team Rocket had begun to run out of funds. The Slowpoke's tails were a delicacy to many, though not any in the Johto region. But there were places up north where people would pay anything for the tails. Archer trusted that Proton would do his job.

_Finally, I'll be able to leave the shadows and enter the light. _Archer thought to himself._ There will be no more need of Giovanni. I will be the proclaimed leader of Team Rocket. And when Team Rocket succeeds, I will be king!_

* * *

**Here we have it, the prologue of my Pokemon story. This one will be based on my SoulSilver Pokemon line-up (mainly because I've worked too hard on my HeartGold one to delete my file). Now the more I read over what I've written so far I can't wait to continue! But it still feels so far from where I'm at now in the writing process *sigh*.**


	2. Chapter1: Beginning of a New Journey

**So, this is the first chapter of my Pokemon story and I want to set my own personal ground rules as to how I'm writing Pokémon. **

**1: Pokémon trainers start their journeys at age 13 (not 10 because that's too much independence for such a young age, I wouldn't trust me alone at 10). **

**2: Liana's journey is going to be spread out over the course of a couple years (this is obvious, seeing as I'm not the only author to do so). **

**3: There will be no such thing as TMs and HMs; they are too (for lack of better word) mechanical *chuckle at the pun* and don't fit in evenly with a _story._ If there is ever a move that a Pokémon cannot regularly learn, there can be tutoring (like Ash did with Pikashu and learning Iron Tail). **

**4: I'm not going to have my starter Pokémon have its first evolution right after the first badge. When I first played Gold Version, I remember not allowing my Totodile to evolve until I faced Whitney simply because I wanted more time with the cute little guy. I won't pull an Ash and compete in the league with a non-evolved Pokémon, I just want more time with my Pokémon before it evolves, so the evolutions are going to be generously spread out. That, and Pokémon levels are going to be obsolete as well. Pokémon are going to be stronger than others, yes, but levels (as well as stats) are the pitfalls of the games, in my opinion (especially since that's the _reason_ you _have_ to evolve you Pokémon so early).  
**

**5: There are going to be a number of Pokémon in Liana's party (though not an outrageous number). First because I think it's very limiting to think of only a _six_ Pokémon team when there are _hundreds_ to choose from, and yes, there is trouble for me having to decide. I could have more than twenty or thirty Pokémon for Liana to have, but I've narrowed it down to a modest-sized number. And I will try to make sure that the rotation between them is even.**

**6: When it comes to the Pokémon, since this is HeartGold and SoulSilver, there are only going to be the four generations of Pokémon so far. Though that doesn't mean there won't be any mention at all about the next two generations. (But quite frankly, and don't hate on me for it, I'm not impressed with the 6th generation of Pokémon.)**

**7: Lastly, there are Pokémon in Liana's party that are going to be caught where, technically in the game, they are not found. The reason for this is that some of them you don't get to find until _waaaaaaayy_ later and I don't want to wait so long. But with that being said, these Pokémon are going to be in places that would still make sense for them to be in.**

**Now, with all that said (and I hope you're not gawking at the length of this _memo)_ let's get on with the story.**

**The Beginning of a New Journey**

_RING! RING! RING!_

A Pidgey alarm clock blared in Liana's bedroom, marking the start of a new day. Liana clicked the alarm off without leaving the comfort of her blankets. With a loud groan, she threw the covers off her head and stretched herself out on the bed, bringing warmth to her cold limbs. Lifting into a sitting position at the side of her bed, she continued to stretch out her back and legs. All warmed up, Liana went to her window and pushed them open, letting the autumn breeze in. Liana breathed in the scent of Oran berries that left their mark on New Bark Town.

Liana moved away from the window and dressed for the day; her outfit of choice was a dark blue and black plaid shirt buttoned up over a plain black tee and jeans. She pulled her shoulder-length hair back into a simple ponytail and left her room. Descending the stairs, she could smell her mother's pancakes.

"Morning mom," Liana greeted as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning sweetheart. I was just about to see if you were awake." Stella Hart said to her daughter. Liana had always admired her mother's beauty; long red locks that fell passed her hips, a heart-shaped face, and a gracious, feminine build. Many noted how Liana and Stella looked so similar, but their hair and eye color was where it truly ended. True they both had the same red-orange hair, but Stella's was thick, long and perfectly wavy while Liana's wasn't as thick and it hung straight and limp. Their eyes were the same shade of amber, but Liana's were half-hidden behind thick-rimmed glasses. And the biggest difference was Liana's lack of feminine developments. But that didn't bother Liana much.

Stella went over to her daughter as Liana sat down at the kitchen table and kissed her temple. "I prepared your favorite: chocolate chip pancakes."

"Thanks mom." Liana said. "But what's the occasion?" She added, lifting an eyebrow at her mother. Usually breakfast would consist of cereal or toast.

Stella just smiled and said, "I just woke up with a feeling that today would be a good day."

Liana left it at that and took a big gulp of her chocolate Moo Moo milk. Halfway through her meal, Liana glanced sideways to the other end of the table where a photo frame sat so that it faced out towards anyone sitting at the table. The photo held a tall man in his late thirties with a medium athletic build, tanned skin and brown hair and eyes. Her stepfather, Russel Hart. Liana felt the familiar pang in her heart at the picture. Though it had lessened over time, it was still a weight that her heart would never forget.

"Have you talked to Professor Elm about the new coming season?" So her mother had noticed her staring. Liana didn't respond, but continued to eat her food, though slower than before. But her mother persisted. "I know how much you miss him, but he would have wanted you to move on."

Liana put her fork down with a sigh. Her mother did know how much her stepfather was missed. He had come into their family when Liana was seven years old; some time after her father had mysteriously gone missing. Russel had come to New Bark Town to visit his sister, who happened to be the wife of Professor Elm, and Liana had taken his Growlithe as a new playmate. Russel had begun making himself at home with Stella and Liana and before the year was up, he had become a husband and father to the girls. The three of them were nearly inseparable, except the times when Russel was called away for duty. He was a veteran PokePolice officer and would sometimes be called away to other cities when rumors of serious criminal activity were located. During the summer of last year, he'd been on duty again and was killed in action. It had been just after Liana's thirteenth birthday, the time where all new trainers started their journey. Because of that, Liana didn't have the heart to leave home, no matter how much her mother or Professor Elm had tried talking to her.

It wasn't that she was against the journey, her heart just hurt too much. She loved Russel, he was her dad and she called him such. He had also adopted her, and gave her his last name Hart. He even taught her everything she would need to know when she would start on her journey. That was why she wasn't overly eager to leave…it would just stir up too many memories.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Both the Hart ladies were snapped out of melancholy thoughts and Stella already made for the door before Liana could rise. Even though she didn't quite feel like eating anymore, she continued on her pancakes at least for her mother's sake.

"Good morning Jem, you're here early. Come on in."

Liana didn't look up from her plate as her mother and their new guest entered the kitchen. Even as Jem slid into the chair in front of her, Liana refused to look up, concentrating hard on the last little tidbits of her remaining breakfast. But when she could stall no longer, she closed her eyes as she rose from her seat to take her dishes to the sink.

"Oh, come now. I don't get a good morning?" Jem complained.

"Is she still giving you the silent treatment for soaking her PokeGear?" Stella said, taking her daughters plate and proceeding to wash it. Smiling as her daughter sauntered out of the kitchen without even allowing herself to _look _toward her childhood friend.

"Morn of the fifth day," Jem answered. "But I declare no longer, as I come bearing the newly repaired PokeGear of a Miss Hart." He then pulled Liana's red PokeGear from his pocket and held it out to Liana as she began walking past him and out of the kitchen.

Liana stopped in her tracks, pausing before holding her hand back out toward Jem, still not looking at him. Jem placed the gear in her hand, and Liana brought it up close to her face as she inspected the repairs. She turned it on, and was immediately answered with the time of day; 7:40 A.M. Tuesday. Scrolling through it, she found her daily step counter, scratch memos, and all of her games were still on and still intact.

Satisfied, Liana turned on her toes and finally faced Jem. With a generous pause, she said, "Apology accepted."

Jem stood from his seat with a toothy grin. "Finally, I was getting lonely without you."

Liana chuckled. She had missed him as well, but since the last prank he and his Marill had done to her ended up with her PokeGear soaked and out of order, she had refused to commune with him. Even though he had promised to get repairs done for it and pay himself, she still kept her vigil. Not talking to him when they were helping out Professor Elm, not leaving her room when he came over, and ignoring him on the streets. Yes, it was childish, but Jem decided to make a game out of it, and soon even Liana's animosity had disappeared…but she still wanted her PokeGear fixed. "Don't let Marill hear you say such things." Liana frowned. "Wait, where _is _Marill?"

"Outside." Jem answered. "He's still wary about coming into the house." And for good reason. When Jem was given Marill by his mother when he was ten, the two had come to Liana's house and decided to have a rollout contest between the three of them. Marill had been going into a good rollout and knocked into a wall where Stella's potted plants sat. Most were knocked over and ruined and Stella gave the three of them a good scolding. While she mainly blamed Liana and Jem for allowing such foolishness while in the house, and she was quick to forgive, Marill only came inside when Jem was planning on staying a while.

"Well, don't let me keep the two of you waiting." Liana said. "Will you be at Professor Elm's with me today?"

"Sorry, no. Marill and I have to help out at the aquarium today." Jem apologized. "But I can still give you a ride if you want."

Liana smiled. "Of course."

With a kiss goodbye from her mother, Liana followed Jem out the door. His bike rested against the outside fence of the yard and Marill jumped into the basket as the two friends approached. Jem said a hello and patted the aqua-mouse's head and got on his bike. He walked his bike in front of Liana and she settled herself on the railings on top of the back tire and grabbed onto Jem's waist – she had terrible balance, one reason she didn't have her own bike. The second came up just as Jem got the bike up to speed. Liana's house lay on top of a slope to the far east of the town. It wasn't terribly steep, but it made for a fun boarding ramp that Jem and Liana had taken full advantage of when they were younger, that is until Liana had broken her arm when she was ten. Stella had forbidden them to board down it anymore, not that Liana had wanted to anymore, but the two would always ride down the slope on their way to Professor Elm's house. Jem was especially good at the curves that hugged the lane farther down.

It only took ten minutes to reach Professor Elm's lab. Liana climbed off the bike and bid Jem goodbye, but he lingered. Marill turned to his trainer, wondering about the pause. "Lia." Her nickname, though he and her parents were the only ones who used it. "How long do you see yourself doing this?"

Liana tensed. First her mother. Now Jem. Professor Elm was probably going to be next. She looked away.

But Jem gently took her hand, and she waited for him to continue, but he didn't. She looked to her friend and really let herself _see_ him for the first time in a long time. His shaggy, chestnut-brown hair had gotten a trim – she had heard him say when he'd visited yesterday, but she didn't get a look - and evenly framed his face, though his bangs still wisped over his minty green eyes. While on his bike she had to look down to him, he stood a few inches taller than her. And all the sharp features of his nose, chin, shoulders and knees that had given grief as a child, he had finally grown into them. This was Jem. This was sweet, caring, and understanding Jem. The Jem that had been her best friend since she first moved to New Bark Town when she was four, and had defended her against the bullying big kids. The Jem who smelled like the expensive Hondew bath soap she gotten for him last year, though he would never admit he still used it. He only wanted to see her happy and did whatever he could to make that so. She appreciated him for that.

She squeezed his hand in turned. "I'll think about it, Jem."

Jem gave her a light smile, which she returned before he began pedaling away to his mother's Water-Type Aquarium. She, in turn, went inside Professor Elm's lab.

At Professor Elm's lab, Liana helped out to feed and interact with the Pokemon kept there. It was her job to let out all the Pokemon into the fenced pastures behind the lab, feed them and keep their spaces clean. When she had the Pokemon settled in their little niches, she gathered the Aipom twins to help her collect Oran berries.

Her basket wasn't even half full before she heard Professor Elm calling to her from the lab. Thanking the Aipom, she hurried back to the lab. "What is it, Professor?" While he was technically her uncle by marriage, she didn't feel comfortable calling him anything other than Professor.

"I just got a call from one of my colleagues, Mr. Pokemon, and he has recently come by an egg. We believe it may be a rare Pokemon egg. I want you to pick it up for me." The Professor spoke quickly in his excitement, but Liana just smiled and nodded. "He lives just up north from Cherrygrove City, so you'll need a Pokemon, since you're mother would never have you venture out alone."

He turned away, so immersed with the latest shared find that he didn't notice Liana's hesitation. But she followed him nonetheless toward the little pens where the three starter Pokemon of Johto were settled. The three different pens held four Chikorita, three Totodile and one Cyndaquil. These little ones were still too young for the outdoors (even the Totodile had their own little pool to swim in), so they were kept inside and close to their mothers. Though now it was play time and the Totodile had been taken for a swim, while the Chikorita kicked a little ball around. But the lone Cyndaquil immediately edged up to the pen's walls as the Professor and Liana approached. That immediately caught Liana's attention and she bend down in front of its pen and raised her hand to allow it to smell her.

"She's the baby of the litter." Professor Elm told her. "And the first female born in five years." The little Cyndaquil nuzzled her head into Liana's palm, sighing her satisfaction. "I was going to bring the Totodile back in," Elm commented "but I think you two like each other."

Liana looked away. To her, the Cyndaquil just seemed lonely, without any brothers to play with like the others. But she didn't need to make that comment to the Professor. And she did like the little thing. She was eager and affectionate and seemingly liked to meet new people. Only Elm and his two assistants were allowed to interact with them. Being so young, they got attached quite easily and the adults were easily able to keep them at arm's length for when it came the time when a new trainer could pick up their new partner.

That's what made Liana question. "Are you sure about this, Professor? Why don't you ask Jem for this favor?"

Elm shook his head. "Jem is needed by his mother. And I have a great trust in you for this assignment."

That settled that. "Then I guess Cyndaquil and I had better get going."

Professor Elm wanted Liana and Cyndaquil to get a quick start, so he had his assistant Lucas, and Jem's father, drive her home to pack and drop her off at the western edge of the town. Stella had been overjoyed at Liana's task and she and Cyndaquil were so completely enamored with one another that Liana was surprised that Cyndaquil had come at her call when it was time to leave.

Lucas dropped her off at the outskirts where the cemented ground had petered away to dirt. There she shouldered her pack and headed toward Cherrygrove City with Cyndaquil at her heels. It wasn't yet noon and Elm had said she would arrive to the city by tomorrow night. Liana kept an even pace while Cyndaquil took off, excited to be in such a big, unfamiliar environment. Though, she seemed to have an inner radar, not straying too far from Liana without even having to look back. She even had the guts to scatter a flock of wild Pidgey. The initial shock must have had them onto the initial instinct of _flight _rather than _fight._ Besides, Cyndaquil hadn't hit any of them.

Liana stopped to watch the Pidgey flutter around the trees in their excitement, trying to settle back into a non-threatening space. Liana chuckled. "You know, it's rude to scare others." She gave Cyndaquil a hard stare.

Cyndaquil was unfazed by the scolding and ran onward, with Liana jogging slightly to catch up.

An hour passed on the road when Cyndaquil was at it again, racing up to wild Pokemon intending to scare them. But the Rattata was not amused, instead it retaliated. It hit Cyndaquil straight on with a tackle. Liana came racing up to her little partner. "I told you, scaring others is not polite."

Cyndaquil rose to her feet, which met with Rattata's hiss. It was in the mood for a battle. "Use tackle Cyndaquil." Liana called.

Cyndaquil dashed to the Rattata, throwing her weight against it. The Rattata skidded away, falling on its side.

"Quick, use another tackle before it gets up!" Liana told Cyndaquil. She obeyed, tackling the Rattata just as it regained its feet. It got up and ran off.

Cyndaquil jumped and cried her victory. Liana grinned at the little one, but it still had to learn. "Now you better know better next time." Cyndaquil nodded her acknowledgement and the pair continued on.

That night, after making good progress, Liana and Cyndaquil had settled down underneath an unoccupied tree. Liana unrolled her sleeping bag and hastily changed into her plaid, flannel pajamas. Cyndaquil helped in the building of the fire and Liana opened a can of soup her mother had given her. Stella had worried that she couldn't prepare and store food for her, but some of their canned food would suffice. It wouldn't be hot since Liana couldn't carry a pan with her, but holding the can over the fire had warmed it up enough to be appealing. She did bring utensils with her, so she didn't have to drink right out of the can and even fed some to Cyndaquil.

Liana stoked the fire so that it would keep up for a few hours on and lay back in her sleeping bag. Cyndaquil had settled herself next to Liana. Liana smiled and remembered the last time she camped out doors. Usually it would be with Jem in the backyard of one of their houses. But once, she and her parents had hiked and camped out to Route 46 back when she was eleven. At the memory of her step-father, Liana was surprised she still felt herself smiling. Was _this _what she needed? She had put her Pokemon journey on hold after her step-father died and hadn't been overly eager to leave home and didn't think about too much over the next few months. The next thing she knew, it was a year later and she was still home. During the last couple months, her mother had tried to coax her about leaving, but Liana just didn't feel like listening. Even Professor Elm tried talking to her from time to time, but it only took him a few _no's_ for him to get the picture…or at least Liana believed so, looking at Cyndaquil beside her.

_Fine Professor, you got me._ Liana fell asleep with a smile.

* * *

Dragon Clan Elder, Kaydmon's, eyes flickered open as he finishes his meditation. He sits still for several minutes; his hands still resting gently upon his knees, back erect, face straight, breathing deeply and evenly. Even after a month the visions still came to him, of a young maiden, fair, with flaming red locks and dressed in a simple white gown, almost ceremonial-looking. The vision showed only her with the background black and empty, though there wasn't a complete lack of environment, as her long hair and the train of her gown flowed with an invisible breeze. And she sang in a light and calming voice, of some wordless song.

But this vision was slightly different, the maiden was younger in age, her hair shorter and styled, instead of being let loose, and her gown was more elegant and sophisticated, but still white. And she held a violin on her shoulder, playing a similar song as she sang in his other visions as she ran the bow over the strings.

From the first vision Kaydmon had recognized the song; it was the lament of the Legendary King of the Seas. It wasn't a widely known song; only those who had ventured to the Whirl Islands some hundreds of years ago knew it. They passed it down the generations, which was how the Dragon Clan knew of the song. Dragon-Pokemon had come to revere the song as well.

But this girl, knowing and playing the song, seemingly calling out to the King of the Seas, was a legend coming to life again. Her face was gentle as she played the song, calling out with _her _heart as much as she called to _his._ Just as the legends of old. And her presence was as warm and welcoming as the North Wind, whom may also come beckoning to her song. But that wasn't the only song he had heard from her, just the most common.

_It has begun. I know this now. _Kaydmon thought as he slowly began stretching his stiff limbs. From what he'd last heard from Lady Zuki of the Kimono girls, they had foreseen the rise of a new champion. So Kaydmon set things in motion, having had Zuki present a Pokemon egg to Mr. Pokemon a week ago.

Kaydmon called out to one of his young students to fetch Lance and bring him to the Dragon's Den. There had to be a reason Kaydmon was seeing the maiden in a ball gown and he was reminded that there was to be a state dinner held in less than a month's time in Violet City for the leaders of the Kanto and Johto Gyms as well as their Elite Four. Lance had returned to Blackthorn City from a short trip to the Sinnoh region not yet a week ago, and would join and escort Claire to Violet. They were to set out at the week's end. Claire had always boasted about the beautiful music talents that were featured. Kaydmon didn't know how the girl was going to get the honor to play in front of them, but she would be there. It was the only reasoning he could think of. He was sure of it.

A knock at the door told him that Lance had arrived. Kaydmon allowed Lance entrance and his young grandson kneeled in front of him.

"What did you want to see me about, Grandfather?" Lance inquired.

Kaydmon studied Lance before answering. The boy was tense; he could see it in the way his shoulders were slumped and his head hung a bit low. There was also hardness in his eyes and the tightness of his mouth as he kept a neutral expression. _The boy seems to think the world rests on his shoulders. And the burden doesn't seem like something he wants to carry, though he'd never admit it._ "Things are changing." He said cryptically.

"Yes, they are." Lance replied softly, but Kaydmon noticed a flicker of impatience in his eyes.

"It is time I told you about my visions." Lance perked up, but said nothing, knowing Kaydmon would reveal his thoughts whenever he was ready. "I hear the Sea's Lament in my dreams, from that of the King of the Sea and of the pure heart that calls to him."

Lance's face rose in surprise. Those in the Dragon Clan knew the song as the Sea's Lament and its legacy. But Kaydmon wasn't finished. "I also hear the Fire's Dance."

"Both of them." Lance stammered. "Who is it? Who has the power to call to them _both_?"

Kaydmon sighed and shook his head. "This is not about power, it is about heart and soul. They will both come to her call, if and when she chooses. She is to be a fledgling trainer that I want you to be on the lookout for."

Lance flared. "But what about the rumors of Team Rocket's resurfacing? You said yourself that they are returning from the shadows. I can't waste my time babysitting some little girl while they wreck havoc upon the Johto Region!"

"Silence, boy!" Kaydmon snapped, but the hardness in Lance's eyes remained. "She will not be some simpering child. She will have a strength that will oppose yours." He saw Lance's lip twitch to a scowl but the boy said nothing. "You will watch over her, and the Kimono Sisters will guide her. Do not mock the strength that she will be ever gaining. Can I trust you with this?"

Kaydmon eyes bored into the violet-blue eyes of his grandson, until the youth finally relented. "You will know this girl when she plays the Sea's Lament and the Fire's Dance."

"That doesn't give me much to go by." Lance struggled to keep his tone even.

"It is all you need." With that Lance was dismissed. Most likely to brood over his newly appointed task.

* * *

**So, there's the first chapter. If you haven't guessed beforehand, Jem is the "Ethan" character and Liana is my "Lyra". I didn't want to use the original game characters because that would be _un_original, and I'd like to have someone more...impressive that the two. It's not that I don't like them, but they are bland, I think. And it's also because I love creating new characters, that's half the fun! And there are also some other original characters that I have planned for later chapters that I hope you'll like. Liana could use more consistent friends as she continues traveling.  
**

**I hope you like it, my dear reader!**


	3. Chapter 2: To Venture Forth

**So here's another chapter of Pokemon. I'm going to continue to update this every 13 to 20 days. I have the fourth chapter about half way done and I want to make sure that I have some chapters well written before I publish. As of right now, I have a LOTR fic that I've been working on mind, body and soul and that's taken up most my concentration. I hope to get that one on here too. But still, I want to continue this one and I very much hope it will be well enjoyed. **

**Oh, and another thing about my Pokemon. There will be no nicknames. It's not that I don't like them (in fact, my HeartGold Version, all of my favored party Pokemon have nicknames...and there's about two and a half boxes full of them), but returning to a fanfic that nicknames Pokemon you tend to forget just what Pokemon the author is referring to. Even when its name refers to a type, there's still a handful of other Pokemon that can have the same name reference.**

**Anyway, moving forward...**

**Except for this disclaimer. When it come to PokeDex entries, they are taken from Serebii. They do not belong to me.**

* * *

**To Venture Forth**

Liana woke early to Cyndaquil nuzzling against her face. She quickly rolled up her sleeping bag and changed back into her traveling clothes, though putting on a fresh shirt, and ate a can of fruit as she walked onward toward Cherrygrove. As Professor Elm predicted, they made it to the city just as night fell. The sight of so many houses still amazed Liana. Her little home town was tiny in comparison and Cherrygrove wasn't known as a big place either. That, and this was the first time she'd come to the city on her own, usually she went with her mom. _Now, where is the Pokemon Center?_

She spotted an old gentleman and asked for directions.

The man chuckled boisterously. "Follow me, I'll take you there." Liana protested, not wanting the man to go out of his way. "Nonsense. Just make sure you can keep up with me."

Despite his old age, the man was quick. Liana had to jog to keep up with him, even carrying Cyndaquil when she tired. They came to the Pokemon Center in record time, at least according to the old man; Liana was hardly one for races of any kind. Once inside, she gave Cyndaquil to the nurse for resting while Liana ordered herself dinner. She had fed Cyndaquil on the way from a berry pouch her mom had given her, tossing the berries which Cyndaquil caught without letting them drop to the ground. So Liana had a burger and fries with a shake all to herself; but picked out a small chocolate cake for the two of them to share as they asked for a room.

In their borrowed room, Liana carefully fed Cyndaquil little forkfuls of cake, managing to not drop a crumb onto the bed they sat upon. Cyndaquil liked the chocolate cake enough, but Liana suspected that she didn't have an extraordinary sweet tooth. Tired out from the long hike and deciding to shower in the morning, Liana slipped under the blankets after stripping off all but her shirt and undergarments. Cyndaquil curled into a ball on the pillow next to Liana's head and dozed off.

When morning came, Liana quickly showered and even gave Cyndaquil a light brushing. Being a Fire-Type, Liana didn't want to hassle Cyndaquil with a bath. They left after a real breakfast, a big berry salad to share, and left the Pokemon Center after gaining directions to Mr. Pokemon's house from the nurse. As the two continued onto Mr. Pokemon's house, they came across many wild Rattata and Pidgey and even a couple Sentrent raring for battle. Cyndaquil eagerly battled, listening to all of Lana's commands.

In less than an hour, they came across a little house shaded under a big apricorn tree. "Come on, Cyndaquil, this must be Mr. Pokemon's house." The two jogged up to the house and Liana knocked on the plain white door.

A middle-aged man opened the door, curiosity in his expression.

"Hello. I'm Liana. Are you Mr. Pokemon?" Liana said.

The man gave a light chuckle. "No, Mr. Pokemon lives northwest of here." He pointed Liana in the direction from his doorway. She was about to walk away, but Cyndaquil made a contented little yip toward something in the man's house.

"What is it, Cyndaquil?" Liana asked.

"Your little friend must smell my aprijuice." The man explained. Liana furrowed her brow in question. "Yes, brewed from the apricorns in the tree next to me." The man said, gesturing to the tree that brimmed with green-colored apricorns. "The brew just finished. Would you two like some?"

Liana smiled. "Sure."

The man stepped aside to let Liana and Cyndaquil enter his dwelling. He led them to the kitchenette, where he fished two cups and a bowl to which he poured green juice from a tall, clear thermos. "Here you go." He said, as he placed the bowl in front of Cyndaquil and gave a cup to Liana.

The drink was thick and sweet and rich in flavor. Liana found herself gulping down the entire cup in one drink. "Wow." Was all she had to say.

"Good, huh?" The man grinned. Liana nodded and Cyndaquil gave a happy squeak as she continued lapping up hers. "The trick is to keep the apricorns well after they've ripened, which you can tell as their shell softens, and their insides become nice and soft and mixes well with the juices." He explained, with Liana listening raptly. "It makes for a delicious and nutritious drink. All you have to do is carve out the fruit and shake it in this container." He held up his thermos, which Liana saw that it was actually a blender.

She looked down at Cyndaquil, seeing that she too had finished her aprijuice. The man let out a hearty laugh. "It seems like you two thoroughly enjoy my aprijuice." Liana and Cyndaquil both voiced their agreement. "If that be the case, let me give you a blender. I have an older model; travel-sized and it still works." The man went back to fishing through his cabinets and pulled out a similar blender. It was slightly smaller than the other one, more travel-sized definitely, and showed it to Liana. This one had a clear cup with a steel lining on the bottom an inch thick and a bulkier steel lid that had a couple buttons on top. "The buttons are for the blender, depending on how you want to juice mixed. Here, let me wash it for you. Oh, and let me give you an Apricorn Box."

"No," Liana protested. "You're already giving me the blender."

The man shook his head. "I weave them myself and I have plenty extra. Just take a look in the supply closet over there." The man pointed to the tall wooden cabinet just outside the little kitchen. She opened it and saw that he was right. There must have been over two dozen baskets fit inside. They varied in sizes and many were packed within each other. If she was going to receive one, it had better be small since she didn't have space to carry it in her small bag. She picked out one that was just smaller than a family picnic basket. It was yellow wicker with the inside covered in a cream-colored cloth and had handles big enough carry in the crook of her arm.

But that wasn't all. He also insisted she pick a few apricorns from his tree before she and Cyndaquil went on their way. Elated at the prospect of yummy aprijuice, the two continued onto Mr. Pokemon's house with an extra bounce in their step.

* * *

Lance watched on as his cousin Claire trumped another challenger and proceeded to gloat over it. Though Claire only saw her victory, Lance could see the underlying strategy the young boy had. Despite having mainly Ground-Type Pokemon, which had a tendency to fall short, held up well against Claire's dragons. His Piloswine definitely had great potential. But he kept this information to herself as Claire excused herself from the gym arena without even acknowledging the trainer. He sighed. He'd only been back home a week and Claire was already aggravating him. It was her blatant arrogance and complete disregard of other people that upset him. She didn't even try to get along with other people and held no respect for others outside of the Dragon clan. But even that respect was little seen.

He wished to be back at his other home at the Indigo Plateau, but she had basically ordered him to join her travel to Violet City for the state dinner. And she wanted to take the path through the craggy hills south of Blackthorn. Lance was still up for traveling, even after spending a few months in the Sinnoh region, but with Claire…

Well, at least he would have his new Gible to tag along. His new dragon needed raising and he already got on Claire's nerves. Gible was still young and in his teething phase, munching on whatever was in sight. Though Gible was hardy and adamant, which Lance was very pleased with,and he was very proud even during his antics. Claire complained that Gible was too uncivilized, but Lance had more patience for little rascal.

But there was still Team Rocket to worry about. That was the reason he had cut his trip to Sinnoh short (he'd hoped to have his Gible evolved before he returned). Although there was nothing but rumors for Lance to grasp at, Kaydmon was already convinced that they were making a return. And Lance couldn't be wasting his time entertaining his cousin. Or chasing after some little rookie trainer.

Lance brought his hand to his mouth in thought, biting his thumb. Both the Sea's Lament _and_ the Fire's Dance, his grandfather said. No one in history was able to control _both_ the sacred birds. Each had their own individual legends to tell. They never coincided. And how could a rookie little girl be the one they would respond to?

He shook his head to rid himself of such useless thoughts. He would keep his eyes open for this girl for his grandfather's sake and an even sharper one for Team Rocket.

A tug on his pant leg brought Lance out of his thoughts. He looked down to see Gible gnawing on his left leg. Lance heaved a sigh. There probably went another pair of pants. "Gible." He said in a warning voice, and the little dragon immediately hopped away from his master. As predicted, three coin-sized holes had been punctured just under Lance's knee. "Come on," Lance sighed, heading out of the gym, "let's get you something to chew on other than me."

Gible let out a happy growl and hobbled after his master.

* * *

As Liana continued onward to Mr. Pokemon's house, she noticed the temperature rising as she was already sweating under her flannel shirt. It must have been just before noon, too early for such discomfort. She paused to peel off the flannel and tied it around her waist. It never got so hot in New Bark Town, even in the midst of summer. Even when the sun was shining hotly, there would always be cool breezes from Mt. Silver to be comfortable in a simple T-shirt or a light covering like Liana's flannel.

But Liana felt her dark blue shirt sticking to her back from underneath her backpack. Her back could hardly breathe. She let out a huff and picked up the pace. The sooner she reached Mr. Pokemon, the better.

Before Liana became irritated with the heat, another house came into view. An apricorn tree filled with pink apricorns sat in the front yard, under which stood a wooden bench where a short old man sat, leafing through a heavy tome on his lap.

"Excuse me. Are you Mr. Pokemon?" Liana asked, approaching the man.

The man looked up from his reading. "Yes, Mr. Pokemon is me." He answered. "And who is asking?"

"I'm Liana, and this is Cyndaquil," she gestured to her friend, who cried her hello, "Professor Elm sent us here for the Pokemon egg."

Mr. Pokemon's face lifted into a large smile. "Oh ho, so you're the little lady who Elm calls his niece!"

Liana smiled sheepishly, feeling slightly awkward for being more formal about the Professor than he was about her.

Mr. Pokemon leapt up from the bench faster than Liana believed an elder had the capacity for. "Well then, come inside. You must be hot."

Liana chuckled. "How did you guess?" She followed him inside.

The house was two stories and very homely looking on the outside and the inside reflected that as well. Directly in front of her were a stairway and next to it, a doorway leading into a kitchen. The rest of the room was converted into a study. Mr. Pokemon headed right into the kitchen, "How's about some nice, cold Wepear Juice? That will cool you down. Now, make yourself at home."

Liana made her way into Mr. Pokemon's study and looked at the many pictures and posters of Pokemon lining the walls. In the corner behind his desk chair, the wall was overfilled with clips from magazines about rare and exotic Pokemon; talking about "shiny" and "big-sized" Pokemon. Many overlapped each other, covering the articles and even some of the pictures. One featured a shiny Charizard that came from the volcanoes of Cinnabar Island. The picture of the Charizard was in black and white (having been taken over fifty years ago), but Liana could tell that the Charizard was different. The resolution showed it to be pure black instead of a pale gray for its usual orange pallor.

"Sweet and tangy Wepear Juice! Come and get it!" Came Mr. Pokemon's eccentric sing-song voice, holding a tray with a pitcher of white-green juice and three cups filled with it. Liana eagerly took one of the glasses and drank it down, though not as fast as the aprijuice from earlier. The biting shock of the Wepear stopped her, but it was still cool and refreshing.

"Come now, Samuel," Mr. Pokemon called. "Come and greet our guest. Your tofu should be done cooking by now." He had set the tray of drinks on a nearby desk and returned to the kitchen. There was a squabble between Mr. Pokemon and another, older and male, voice.

"Hey what are you doing with my tofu?"

"I'm holding it for you."

"Watch out! You're going to drop it!"

Liana felt her brow quirk as she heard the dispute between the two old men. And she didn't know whether to laugh or not as they exited the kitchen. Mr. Pokemon held a small tray with a steaming bowl that must have been tofu, and the man trailing behind him had a block of steaming tofu gripped in a fork, holding his hand under it in case it dropped, and blowing at the food to cool it down. As he put it in his mouth, his face immediately went red as it must have burned his tongue.

"See now, you old coot, wait for your lunch to cool. Now make yourself known to our guest." Mr. Pokemon asserted.

The man, Samuel as Mr. Pokemon called him, was in his sixties at least, with dark, watery gray hair, a tan complexion, about five ten in height and still lean and fit despite his age. He looked vaguely familiar and his warmness reminded Liana of her grandpa.

"Hello, young lady, I am Professor Samuel Oak."

Liana felt her jaw drop. "Y-you're _the _Professor Oak?!"

Oak smiled at her. "I guess Professor Elm didn't tell you that I was here as well."

Liana shook her head. "It's a real pleasure to meet you," she held out her hand, which he kindly shook.

Mr. Pokemon spoke up. "Now, let's see that Pokemon Egg." He moved to one of his office cabinets and produced a small egg with blue and red triangle dotting it. It was inside a glass tube; some sort of incubator perhaps. He gestured for Liana to sit on the sofa and placed the incubator upon the coffee table in front of her.

Cyndaquil hopped up onto the table and approached the incubator, sniffing at the glass. She squealed and tapped lightly at the glass protecting the egg. "May I hold it?" Liana found herself ask.

"Of course!" Mr. Pokemon agreed, removing the lid of the incubator and carefully raising the white egg out and placing it gently into Liana's waiting hands.

She lowered the egg onto her lap and held it there, reveled by its warmth. Cyndaquil came over to sniff it all over. She gave an excited squeak.

"So, you're a new Pokemon trainer?" Professor Oak asked.

Liana looked up at Oak and to Cyndaquil, but she was still ogling the egg. "Not exactly." She finally said. She felt a slight pang at those words. Here she was, fourteen and still not a trainer. "Professor Elm didn't want me traveling here alone."

But the Professor didn't seem fazed by the answer. Instead, he leaned down to examine Cyndaquil where she stood next to Liana, with her front paws propped against the egg. She looked back at him, smiling and squeaking a hello. "She already seems perfectly comfortable around you, and I would say the same goes for you."

"Thanks." Liana replied softly.

"I recently returned from Sinnoh, where I worked alongside Professor Rowan on the creation of a new Pokedex." He took a thin red box and held it out to Liana. "I would like you to have it."

Liana took the Pokedex from Professor Oak in amazement. The Pokedex had a thin black circle around another one that was filled in, resembling a Poke Ball. It fit in her grasp, her fingers able to click the side button to flick it open, slicing in the middle with the top flipping up and the bottom out to the left. The Dex immediately rang up Cyndaquil: _**Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse Pokemon. **__**It has a timid nature. If it is startled, the flames on its back burn more vigorously.**_ _**However, if it is tired, the flames splutter fitfully with incomplete combustion.**_

Cyndaquil gave a squeak with her name being said and Liana snapped the Pokedex shut. "Thank you, Professor Oak, this is a real honor."

Professor Oak smiled. "The honor is mine to meet such an honest and caring young lady."

Liana felt herself blush and preoccupied herself by lifting the egg from her lap and returning to the incubator. "I guess I should get going." She mumbled. But then her PokeGear rang out from where it hung around her neck. She jumped, startled, luckily she'd already set the egg down. She read the caller ID and saw that it was Professor Elm. Her brow rose. _Wow, does he already know I'm here? _She answered it, and was going to ask the Professor if he had Psychic powers, but she was silenced when his voice sounded shrilly.

_"It's a disaster! It's just terrible!"_

Liana tried in vain to calm him down, but he just kept repeating those words or them in some retrospect. So instead, she asked, "What is it, Professor?"

_"Please, come back now, a Pokemon has been stolen!"_

With that, Professor Elm hung up and Liana, Professor Oak, and Mr. Pokemon fell stun-still. _A Pokemon stolen? That never happened in New Bark Town? How? Which Pokemon?_

"This is not good at all!" Professor Oak said.

"No wonder Jamie sounded so upset." Mr. Pokemon said, using the professor's first name.

"I have to get back," Liana said, anxiously. "But it's gonna take me at least a day."

Professor Oak nodded. "True, but I can give you a ride there."

So Professor Oak and Liana took his car, leaving Mr. Pokemon his house with rushed goodbyes, and made for Cherrygrove and toward New Bark. Though the professor seemed calm as her drove, Liana couldn't stop fidgeting. She tapped her heels, bit her lip and her brow furrowed in worry. What kept her from falling out of her seat was the egg on her lap and Cyndaquil perched on her shoulder. They'd passed Cherrygrove at two o'clock and would be at New Bark by dusk, as long as they didn't run into trouble.

But as they continued on the road, a kid had come up in front of the car. Professor Oak slammed on the brakes, turning to the side of the road to avoid collision. Liana clung to the egg on her lap, making sure it didn't get jostled. Cyndaquil gave a shriek as she still clutched onto Liana's shoulder, managing to remain there.

Professor Oak was the first recover. "Are you all right, young man?" he called to the boy on the road. Liana looked over her shoulder and saw that the boy wasn't as jolted as she felt. Instead, he was quite the opposite, giving a glare that could curdle a Miltank's Milk.

But the professor continued trying to ease the boy. "I apologize if I startled you. You seemed to morph right onto the road."

The boy didn't answer to the professor, but his glare found Cyndaquil on Liana's shoulders. His eyes narrowed at Liana in turn. "You! You're the girl who got that Pokemon from the lab!"

"What about it?" Liana said, not knowing what he was getting at.

"That Pokemon is wasted on you! And it's probably as weak and pathetic as you!" the boy sneered at her.

Liana felt her jostled nerves tighten in anger. She felt Cyndaquil bristle on her shoulder, hopping down to the ground and growling at the boy.

The boy let out a mean snicker, getting a Poke Ball from his belt and releasing it. Out of it came a Totodile. Liana recognized it as one of the babies from Elm's lab. She seethed. "_You're_ the thief Professor Elm was talking about!"

"What about it?" the boy mocked her previous words.

Liana turned to Professor Oak and handed him the incubator, murmuring a "hold this" and got out of the car. "You are going to return that Pokemon, _now_!"

The boy sneered again. "So you think you're tough, huh? Totodile, use Water Gun!"

"Dodge it Cyndaquil! Then use Tackle, followed by Smokescreen!" Liana ordered.

As Totodile released its attack, Cyndaquil dashed to the side, rounding in a circle around her opponent and ran head on into it at its blindside. She then let out her second command and billowed out a large quantity of smoke toward the Totodile.

The boy growled and roared, "get out of there, you stupid thing!"

Liana's lip twitched at his insult. _No one should insult Pokemon, just as no one should insult each other! _"Don't let it escape, Cyndaquil, use Ember!"

Cyndaquil breathed out her little flames into the cloud of smoke and Liana could hear the cries of the Totodile as the attack hit its mark.

"Now, Tackle again!" Liana continued. And Cyndaquil obeyed, charging into the smoke. Again, Liana heard the impact and the two little Pokemon were pushed out of the cloud with Cyndaquil splayed on top of Totodile.

"Totodile, Water Gun! Get it off you!" the boy screamed.

Cyndaquil didn't get a chance to dodge and the water hit her head on. She tumbled onto the ground a few feet away but still managed to get up without a struggle. Though, the Totodile on the other hand, was still on the ground.

"Come on, you useless Pokemon! Get up! _Up!_" the boy called.

"Hey!" Liana shouted. "Don't use that tone or those words to a Pokemon. Now return the Totodile now!"

"Forget it!" the boy said, returning the Totodile back to its Poke Ball. "You got lucky this time, but the next time we meet, I'll crush you!" With that, he ran off into the trees.

Liana ran after him, ignoring Professor Oak's call. Cyndaquil dashed ahead of her. But the boy was fast, diving into the trees and leaving her sight for precious seconds as he most likely turned down past other trees, creating a maze for himself in the forest. A few minutes of chase and Liana stopped as she saw Cyndaquil pause, sniffing at the trees and the bushes trying to find the boy's scent. Liana could no longer hear the shuffling of foliage and the boy had been out of her sight for the last minute. She hoped Cyndaquil would catch the scent but her Pokemon lowered her head in disappointment.

"Nothing?" She pleaded. Cyndaquil shook her head. Liana let out a defeated sigh, lamenting over the lost Pokemon that she failed to retrieve. "Come on, then. Let's get back to Professor Oak before he worries."

Despite their delay, Professor Oak and Liana made it to Professor Elm's lab at dusk. There were a couple of police cars out front along with policemen, but they let Professor Oak and friend pass without a fuss. Upon entry, Liana immediately heard Elm's distressed voice and a police officer trying to calm him down. She also saw that Jem and her mother were at the lab near Elm as well. Her mother had noticed the new entries first and immediately went to her daughter.

"Liana. Are you alright? Did you cross with the thief?" Stella asked, clutching her daughter against herself.

"I'm fine, mom." Liana answered, hugging her mother just as fiercely.

"Just who are you?" Liana turned to see the police officer's eyes had landed on her.

"This is my daughter, Liana." Stella answered, still not letting go of her daughter.

The officer then looked down to see Cyndaquil hovering by Liana's feet. "And where did you get this Pokemon?"

Jem piped up. "Are you thinking that Liana stole the Pokemon?"

"It is common that whoever committed a crime will come back to the site." The officer said, hardly.

"No," Professor Elm sputtered. "I gave her this Cyndaquil the day before yesterday."

The officer paused before answering, "Fine, but we're still nowhere closer to finding out just who did this."

"That is something we _can_ answer." Professor Oak said. "We came across a boy this afternoon with a Totodile that Liana knew had come from this lab."

"Wait, you saw the thief!" The officer exclaimed. "Why didn't you say so?"

Liana didn't bother with a smart retort, but Professor Oak took over. "Liana battled against him, in hopes of returning the Totodile, but he got away. Though not without dropping this." The professor pulled a laminated card out of his coat pocket and handed it to the officer.

"Name: Sliver. Age: 15. Place of birth: Viridian City." The officer read aloud. "This kid is a long ways from home."

_Silver._ Liana said his name in her head. And she remembered his shoulder length, deep crimson hair, his angular facial features, and harsh, dark eyes, as well as his haughty stance and the way he had bullied the little Totodile. The fate of that poor Totodile made Liana sick to her stomach.

"Well, now that we have his name and picture we can make a full on search for him." The officer said and excused himself from the lab.

The group of five stood in silence over the day's events. Stella kept her arm around her daughter, and Jem sent Liana a sympathetic smile. But it only made Liana bite her lip and break the silence. "I'm sorry, Professor."

Both Professors Elm and Oak looked to her, but she had her head down. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring back Totodile. I tried but he, Silver, got away from me."

"It's not your fault, Liana." She looked up to see Professor Elm smiling at her. "And before you say anything else, I want you to promise me that you'll never turn a blind eye to anything like this again."

Liana felt a small smile growing from her lips and she nodded at the professor. And he seemed to remember something as his brow rose suddenly. "Since you're here, does that mean you have that Pokemon egg?"

_The Pokemon egg!_ That made Professor Oak's and Liana's faces draw up in surprised horror. In their haste, they'd forgotten it in the car. "I'll get it." Liana cried and raced out to the professor's car.

* * *

**So here it is chapter 2, now I loved the thought of making Mr. Pokemon a bit of an eccentric and with Prof. Oak it seemed to mesh well. Now with Oak and the tofu I had recently watched some of the beginning episodes, the first 26 which I got in DVD *whoot* and watched the one where they meet Bill (I didn't realize just how cute he can be even being a super nerdy) and before when Ash called Oak about his Krabby and thought Oak was eating it when he was really just steaming tofu. That part I remembered so well and made me smile and laugh and reminisce with my brother at old times, and I couldn't help but grin widely as I wrote that. **

**With Lance and Gible, I'm remembering Ash's Gible and what a little rascal I saw him as and it made me laugh. I couldn't help but think what Lance would do with a baby dragon (cuz all Dragon Masters start somewhere) and how he would handle the situation. That and it would be nice (I won't say cute) with him having a little travel partner (because big ferocious Dragonite would be...weird). That and it's good, in my opinion, to see Lance starting from a bottom. I will be nice when he and Liana eventually meet.**

**I hope you enjoyed that too.**

**Reviews will be loved immensely!**


	4. Chapter 3:The True Adventure Begins

**I'm sitting here trying to remember what I wanted to say for this chapter other than added comments that belong at the end...nothing. Must be the early hour. Got up at six thirty (very early for me, especially when I was asleep by probably twelve thrity). That is little sleep for me (and please don't comment by saying that's nothing, this isn't a competition).**

**Anyway, thank you very much AquilaTempestas for your reviews and best wishes for your re-amp of World of Glass.**

* * *

**The True Adventure Begins**

That night Liana lies in bed with Cyndaquil curled up against her stomach. After she'd hastily brought the egg into the lab, Professor Elm had gotten wrapped up in the new discovery. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a Pokemon egg, but this one had been so uniquely defined in comparison to the others. Most were a pale peach color, no matter what Pokemon was going to hatch out of it. He'd gone on rambling about the possibilities, with Liana, Jem, Stella and Oak politely excused themselves (It hardly mattered as Professor Elm had hardly given them any attention). But as they left, Liana spoke up to say that she wanted to travel with Cyndaquil. Her mother and Jem stopped in their tracks, turning to her and giving their encouragement. Professor Oak was silent but gave her a knowing nod. Jem had parted ways with them, heading home on his bike while Stella and Liana went home, inviting Professor Oak to stay in the guest room for the night before heading back out to Mr. Pokemon's house.

After dinner, Liana had fished one of her stepfather's big hiking backpacks from the hall closet and began packing the necessities: clothes ranging for many weather conditions, sunscreen, flashlight, a map and compass, an extra pair of boots, first aid kit, Pokemon Emergency Med Kit, toiletries (stored in a clip-on pack), and a sleeping pallet that was rolled on top, as well as several water bottles that could be clipped to her belt and to her bag. Her mother was preparing some stored food that would be ready in the morning. And last but not least, a walking stick. If she was going to be walking for most, if not all, of her journey, then it would come to be a life-saver.

But as she finished her packing, Liana remembered one thing. She went and opened her closet, digging in the back cabinets for the little wooden box that she'd stashed away over a year ago. It was plain and made of a light wood with a little golden latch. It was rectangular, about a foot across and half as wide and deep. And it was the contents that mattered to Liana. Inside was set up like a jewelry container, with little squares cut out to hold individual pieces. There were 18 of them, one was the size of two of the squares and it held a simple golden, chain-link bracelet. The rest held charms of different colored gem stones – about five to seven of each color. Her stepfather had gifted them to her before he had died; telling her that each charm she put on would symbolize her Pokemon. There was a color for each of the different types of Pokemon, from normal to dark, ghost to dragon, psychic to electric. She would add a charm for each new Pokemon she caught (the links were big enough to hold two if one would have two different types), and as she wound the chain around her right wrist, she clipped one of the red gemstones on her first link. For Cyndaquil.

But in there were also two other charm bracelets. These two were unlike the one she had just put on. These ones were beaded instead, and they represented her mother's and stepfather's Pokemon. The beads on her mother's bracelet had a single ring of Rhinestones (two for Two-Typed Pokemon) and plain glass beads for her stepfather's. Though, they were both on a silver chain instead of gold. The bracelets had sixteen beads for her stepfather's Pokemon and thirteen for her mother's.

Russel, her stepfather, had a knack for story-telling and Liana remembered listening raptly when it came to how he'd met his Pokemon. Some of them had actually been fierce and colorful tales, while others had been plain with him embellishing on the emotions behind it. Her mother would also recall her stories, though not nearly as attention grabbing as Russel's had been. For their fifth anniversary, Stella had specially made the two charm bracelets for them both, as if to make the memories solid. Whenever Liana saw them around her parents' wrists, she could recall the stories behind each charm and its Pokemon. And for Liana's thirteenth birthday (in the summer season, just before Professor Elm would gift her with a Pokemon), Russel had put together the box and charm set for her when she would start out on her own journey. But when he had died, she'd shoved the box away and forgot about it. Even after her mother had given her both their charm bracelets, she'd done the same thing.

But now would be different. Now she would carry the memories with her, and in turn, make memories of her own. She was done running from the past and the pain. She would only move forward from now on, just like her stepfather would have wanted.

* * *

"It's not this often she's still asleep at this hour."

"_Cynda. Cyndaquil._"

"Maybe she stayed up too late last night?"

"_Cyndaquil._"

"No? Hm."

"_Cynda. Cynda. Cyndaquil._"

"Yes, she isn't making a very eager trainer right now, is she? Sleeping half the morning away."

Liana awoke to the voices and that fact that her feet felt frozen. She needed to go to the bathroom as well as shower. She yawned and opened her eyes to a complete blurry vision of her room. Leaning over to get her glasses from the nightstand, she saw someone sitting at her desk, looking toward her. Putting on her glasses, she saw Professor Elm sitting on her spinning chair and Cyndaquil perched on the desk as they both stared at her sleeping.

"Morning Sleepyhead." Professor Elm said.

"What are you doing here Professor?" Liana asked as she stretched.

"Well Stella called me earlier this morning and told me you wanted to go traveling with Cyndaquil." He answered.

Liana felt her heart skip. Technically Professor Elm hadn't _given_ her Cyndaquil. Would…would he want Cyndaquil back? She was the last of the litter. "I know, I should have asked you first Professor-"

"Nonsense." He stopped her with a wave of his hand. "It's clear to me that you and Cyndaquil have become quite close. And that Cyndaquil wants to go with you. Also, don't worry about me and the lab; we can get along just fine."

"Thank you, Professor," Liana said, and she truly was. "But what are you doing _here_?"

The professor looked at her in confusion this time. "Why, it's nearly eleven o'clock."

Liana gasped, grabbing her Pidgey clock which confirmed it. "What?" She cried. "How did I sleep so late?" She leaped from her bed and grabbed her clothes she'd lain out for the day. "I've still got to shower and eat! And put together last minute things! Oh no!" With that, she dashed out of her room and into the bathroom.

Professor Elm and Cyndaquil looked to each other and laughed.

Twenty minutes later and Liana was clean, dressed and fed. Her mother packed up the preserved foods and some other non-perishables that she must have bought before Liana woke up. She'd also gifted Liana with a new belt that had a piano design on it as well as a treble note buckle. Liana laughed at how well her mother knew her. She looped it through her dark cargo pants and clipped Cyndaquil's Poke ball to it.

As she shouldered her backpack, Liana noticed the Pokemon egg on the coffee table in the living room. "Why did you bring the egg here, Professor?"

"Oh, well I wanted you to take it with you." Professor Elm told her. She merely looked at him, confused by his request. "Well, when I called Mr. Pokemon for more details about the egg, he told me that the friend he'd gotten it from said that it would be best in the hands of a good-hearted trainer. Will you do this for me?"

Liana looked at the egg from within its incubator, already wondering what Pokemon would hatch from it. She smiled when remembering how Cyndaquil had sniffed it all over. She looked back at Professor Elm and nodded.

He nodded. "Tell me when it hatches. I immediately want to know what Pokemon it is."

Liana nodded, picking up the incubator. She could feel the warmth from the egg's little protective environment. She couldn't wait to meet the little one.

Her mother approached her, Cyndaquil held in her arms. The two were as good of buddies as Cyndaquil was with Liana. Maybe Cyndaquil liked having a mother figure. "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart" Stella said to her daughter. "I know the two of you will enjoy yourselves so much, you might not even want to come home."

"Never." Liana said.

Stella smiled. "Don't forget to keep in contact and make sure you don't go spending all your money in one place."

Liana nodded, remembering that as an Official Pokemon Trainer, all trainers who are defeated in battle must hand over a small portion of their money. "I'll send some your way along with letters via Spearrow Mail, okay."

"Yes," Stella nodded. "I want to hear everything from you and Cyndaquil." She then looked to the little Pokemon in her arms, holding Cyndaquil up to eye level. "You take care of my daughter, alright." Cyndaquil chirped in affirmation.

Her mother and Professor Elm walked her to the door, and just as Liana opened the door, Jem stood at the doorway, his hand poised to knock.

"Good Afternoon." He greeted. "My mom told me you were still here." He said to Liana.

She rubbed the back of her head with her free hand. "Guilty. I seemed to have unintentionally overslept."

"Well, no time like the present." Jem said. "Let me take you to the road."

Liana kissed her mother goodbye and Professor Elm gave her a side-hug (since her grip was still on the incubator) and followed Jem to his bike. Marill had to give up his spot for the incubator, but respectfully climbed atop Jem's cap. They rode down the steep slope one last time for neither knew how long.

When they reached the end of the city, Liana was started that Jem kept going. "Let me show you the ropes of catching Pokemon." He called out to her as they continued down the road. He pulled to a stop next to a thicket of trees. He brought a finger to his lips and pointed up to one of the trees. Liana followed his direction and saw a couple Pidgey nesting on the tree's branches. There was enough to count on two hands, and hopefully none would attack them.

"Marill, use water gun in their general direction." Jem whispered.

Marill silently did as commanded. All of the Pidgey were startled out of their nests; half of them flew off to safety and Jem and Marill shooed off the others, until one lone Pidgey stood its ground opposite them. Jem nodded for Liana to take her queue. "Remember, you have to weaken it by battling first."

"You ready, Cyndaquil?" Liana said to her partner perched upon her shoulder. She leapt off her shoulder and stood against the Pidgey. "Use Ember, then tackle it!"

Cyndaquil shot flames from her mouth that halted the Pidgey in its tracks and tackled it before it had a chance to recover.

"Now, use the Poke Ball." Jem called out, tossing her a red and white Poke Ball, which Liana's butterfingers nearly dropped. When she righted herself, she enlarged the Poke Ball and tossed it at the Pidgey just as it started flying away.

The ball hit the Pidgey and consumed it within a transparent red light. The red light was then sucked into the Poke Ball and it closed, falling straight to the ground. It bounced slightly when it hit the ground, twitching and rolling slightly; the little button glowing red. It glowed three times before it eventually stopped.

"And there you have it." Jem said, picking up the ball since he was closer to it.

"That's it?" Liana said, her brow quirking. "You made your catch with Corsola sound so interesting." And she counted herself unlucky that she wasn't there. Jem had been fishing when a Corsola had snatched his hook and it made Jem a wet rat upon her porch. She'd thought that her first catch would be as exciting.

"Well, this is just a little Pidgey." Jem said, handing her a Poke Ball. "Since you can find these guys nearly all over the world, it won't be much of a surprise." He retracted his hand. "Or do you not want it?"

Liana snatched the Poke Ball from his hand. "Of course I want it. This is my first catch. I could care less if it was common. Come on out, Pidgey!" She tossed the ball in the air. It opened and the red light reappeared to release her new Pokemon. The bird caught itself in the air and Liana held out her arm for it to land. It carefully perched itself, and retracted its wings, looking at its new trainer expectantly. "Hello Pidgey, it's nice to meet you." Liana said, raising her other hand to rub at its chin. The Pidgey closed its eyes and let out a sigh.

"Wow, best friends already." Jem chuckled.

"Cyndaquil's got a sweet spot in the middle of her back, so Pidgey must have one too, though I didn't think I'd find it on the first try." Liana said. "Hmm. I wonder if Pidgey is a boy or a girl."

"Well, this one is a little small; females are usually smaller than males." Jem said.

"Usually." Liana repeated with great emphasis and a heavy look at Jem. He just grinned in return.

"Well, this is it. You've finally grown up." He said.

"Shut up." Liana sucker punched him in the stomach, which Jem was expecting. In surprise, Pidgey leapt off Liana's arm and down next to Cyndaquil.

"I'm gonna miss you though." Jem said in all seriousness.

"Yeah, me too." Liana replied, pulling her best friend into a hug. "I'll write."

"You'd better." Jem said, letting go and watching as his best friend took off on her very own journey.

* * *

Lance didn't know who was more grateful to have finally reached Violet City, him or Claire. It hadn't taken long for Claire to get sick and tired of Gible, and Lance had refused to return him to a Poke Ball. Lance couldn't decide whether it was out of spite or the wanting for more pleasant company. But it didn't matter now; Claire had ditched him as soon as they'd checked into the Pokemon Center, insisting she wanted to go shopping. Though, she already had her dress bought and shipped to the City before they'd left. She'd even picked out Lance's clothes for the evening. Lance was annoyed that she wouldn't even show it to him until they were to get ready, but it didn't bother him too much.

No, he still had Team Rocket on his mind. He needed to speak to Falkner if he's heard any rumors. As well as Whitney and Jasmine since they lived in bigger, more populated, cities. But Falkner was currently teaching a class at the Pokemon School and Jasmine hadn't arrived yet. Though Whitney was free and they planned to meet for coffee (and tea for Lance, since he had no taste for coffee). So he took the little time he had to shower and change into fresh clothes. As Lance went to leave the Pokemon Center, he noticed a group of giggling girls sitting at one of the tables in the lobby. Lance pulled his cap further down over his forehead and quickened his pace, with Gible trotting next to him. In the past there had been so many times where giggling fan girls had bombarded him, that now he took lengths to avoid such situations.

He managed to arrive unnoticed to the shop and saw Whitney sitting at one of the outdoor tables, sipping at a cup of her favorite latte. He called her name as he neared.

She turned to his voice. "Lance! It's been so long." She rose from her chair and threw her arms around his shoulders, having to stand on her toes to do so. Lance gladly returned the embrace. Even though she could sometimes be _too _outgoing and girly, he missed the lightness of her company. In fact, for him the party would be a long-time-no-see for him and mostly all the Johto and Kanto gym leaders.

"How was your trip to Sinnoh?" She asked. "And a new Dragon-Pokemon, I see." She said as she got a good look at Gible who still trailed after his trainer. Whitney knelt down to eye level with Gible and said a hello. Gible stood still and silent, staring at Whitney until she fell into a fit of giggles.

The two trainers sat down at the table. A waitress immediately came to ask for Lance's order; a green tea for himself and something that Gible could chew on, knowing his Pokemon was easily bored if he didn't have something between his teeth. Whitney grinded him about the details of his trip, which Lance obliged. Even though he meant he wanted, _needed,_ to look into Team Rocket, it felt nice to simply talk. When the conversation moved to Gible, Whitney commented that she managed to get a trade for a cute Buneary that someone actually found in the Viridian Forest. That was a rarity which impressed Lance himself. They talked for nearly an hour about miscellaneous things after Lance's travels; Whitney's new apprentice trainer, how the radio channels differ in Sinnoh, if Lance had seen any cute _girls_ in his travels (to which Lance rolled his eyes and took a long sip of his tea), and the upcoming radio show featuring the timeless entertainer, Rena Goldsmith.

"Speaking of entertainment" Whitney said, setting down her coffee cup. "I hear that there's some trouble with the musician that's going to play for us tonight, he apparently is going to be a no-show."

"That's unfortunate. That was always Claire's favorite part of the night." Lance said, considering the bitter disappointment that his cousin was going to have…that _he_ would have to deal with.

"Mr. Marno was about to delay the dinner, even cancel, but I hear he's trying to get someone else to perform tonight at last minute." Whitney said.

Lance chuckled at the thought of the enthusiastic and eccentric Director Marno. He loved the feature musicians he managed to feature; it was his pride and joy, which tended to _make_ him eccentric. The thought of music reminded him of his grandfather's words: _"You will know this girl when she plays the Sea's Lament and the Fire's Dance." _But Lance hardly considered it for a moment, before shaking his head. Only a few experienced musicians knew and sometimes played both songs, but those numbers were countable on a single hand, and none of them young trainers.

"Off the subject of entertainment." Lance said. "I wanted to talk to you about any suspicious activity that you might have noticed in Goldenrod."

Whitney paused before answering. "None of this is certain, but there have been rumors around the underground tunnels lately. Many people have complained about muggings and stolen Pokemon."

Lance nodded. It wasn't concrete evidence, but it would be something that Team Rocket would do. "Anything else?"

"I hear that there had been a black market selling of Pokemon Tails, especially Slowpoke." Whitney said. "There's also been something about Ratticate Tails, but I wouldn't put much stock in that. May I ask; what are you asking this for?"

Lance chose his words carefully. His grandfather never told him he couldn't tell anybody, but Lance was worried no one would believe him. Would Whitney? "Have you heard any rumors about Team Rocket?" He finally asked.

Whitney's eyes hardened. "I always believed that they were gone for good, but now I'm not thinking so." She let out a heavy sigh. "Nothing has been said about Team Rocket directly, but these kinds of crimes don't point to a common criminal. Giovanni publicly promised that Team Rocket was over and done without him."

Lance nodded in agreement. He'd seen the television interview himself, as Giovanni not only retired Team Rocket, but retired as the Viridian Gym Leader; a position he'd held for nearly a decade. He'd had a number of followers, and not all of them plain lackeys. But most, if not all of them, had been arrested. There could even be a chance that Giovanni wasn't in this at all. But if Giovanni wasn't at the helm, who was?

* * *

Silver had managed to evade the little brat. And_ brat_ was right. How dare she speak as if he was littler than her! He could do and take whatever he pleased. He was strong. He knew that to gain power, you had to push past all boundaries, pain included. It didn't matter what he called his Pokemon, as long as they listened and became stronger.

When he'd finally stopped running, he screamed his frustration. He lost to her, a little rookie _female_ trainer! All because of his weak little Pokemon. He took the PokeBall from his belt, clutching it tightly in his hand, so much so that might have threatened to break. He tossed it to the ground; the red light merged into the Totodile, and caught it as it rebounded back to him. The Totodile looked at Silver, its mouth wide open and eyes happy, it clucked happily at its trainer while hopping from foot to foot.

"What are you so happy about?" Silver screamed. "You blew it!"

The Totodile stopped short, flinching at its trainer's fury. It wasn't used to this kind of treatment. The Totodile had always been given smiles and light praise. Hearty snacks and water to swim in, but not so this time. How was it supposed to act now?

But Silver didn't stop to consider Totodile's feelings, instead he merely seethed. "From now on, you do as I say. You do so, and we will win every challenge we face. We will destroy _everyone _who crosses our path. _Everyone!_"

Startled speechless, Totodile merely nodded, hanging its head low, mouth closed and dejected. Until Silver screamed again. "No moping!"

Totodile stood up straight, even lifted its chin a slight higher. Silver smirked. "That's better." He nodded. "Now, you're not going to lose _again._" With that, he returned the Pokemon to its PokeBall.

Silver stood silent for several moments. His anger broiling within him until it finally erupted. "You hear me!" He bellowed. "I will be the strongest! Strong enough to beat you even! Strong enough for all the fall beneath my feet!" He roared at the skies. "You hear me father! I will be stronger than you! _And you will fear me!_"

* * *

Three weeks. It's been three weeks since Liana left home with Cyndaquil, acquired a Pidgey, and now the three of them were nearing Violet City, home of their first gym challenge. As well as the Pokemon Egg that Liana often carried, though sometimes she'd tuck it securely in her pack. At night she would often hold the egg in her lap and gently stroke the shell, hoping to feel the little one inside. Once she thought she felt it nudge against her palms.

But other than just making her way to next city, Liana had run into many different trainers. Especially after she'd passed Cherrygrove for the second time, when she took the west road instead of the east road that lead toward Mr. Pokemon's house. There had been two boys (who named themselves childhood rivals) that were in the middle of battle between their Rattata, which Liana watched with interest. And when they were finished, the winner (Liana already forgot his name) had demanded Liana to battle him, which she obliged. Cyndaquil was happy for the challenge, and managed to defeat the Rattata. When the boy had begrudgingly handed over her winning money, Liana almost gave it back. But she remembered that it was League regulation, and it might be insulting for a fellow trainer.

Anyways, it felt great to travel, to sleep underneath the stars every night. And she was eternally grateful to her mother for the premade food. She would've had to forage through trees and bushes otherwise. Unfortunately, she was now running low. After finishing a light breakfast with Cyndaquil and Pidgey, Liana shrugged on her backpack (slowly as not to jostle the Pokemon Egg) and set off with both her Pokemon running and flying ahead of her.

At noon, Liana came to a cross road that went west to Violet City and east to Dark Cave. Her Pidgey flew ahead and even perched on the two-way sign. She knew it would be best to head toward the city, but she couldn't help but wonder at the Dark Cave. In fact, she could see the mouth of the cave from where she stood on the road. And she'd heard about the Cave; it ran from Violet to Blackthorn, and it was also a cut between Blackthorn and New Bark as another path led out to route 46 which was just a ways away from New Bark. Liana and her parents had once taken a little detour into Dark Cave, though Liana had been scared out of her mind by the wild Zubat. It was the one memory which made Liana shudder still.

"Having trouble deciding where to go?"

Liana turned around to the voice addressing her. The stranger was a young man, perhaps nineteen or even early twenties. He had cropped brown hair that stood in unruly spikes and sharp facial features as well as a dark tan complexion. He was tall and lean, with strong shoulders that held a pack about as big as hers. With his cargo pants and vest, he was as much a hiker as Liana was. A handsome one too.

"Hello." Liana said, moving her bangs off her forehead. Which was kind of unnecessary, she thought ten seconds later.

"So, stranger," the man said, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Were you wanting to head into Dark Cave? If you do, I suggest you stock up in the city beforehand."

"I don't think I planned to really go in there…I didn't have a good experience the last time I did." Liana answered sheepishly.

"The Zubat?" The man said, knowingly. Liana nodded. "Now, my manners must have escaped me. My name is Brock. I'm the Pewter City Gym Leader."

That made Liana do a double take. A Gym Leader? She didn't know that they would be so forward about it. And not only that, but he was from Kanto. "I'm Liana Hart. What brings you so far from home?"

"There's going to be a state dinner tomorrow evening in Violet City." Brock answered. "All Gym Leaders from Kanto and Johto are invited. I've been here a while, so I've had lots of time on my hands. What about you? Trainer?"

Liana nodded. "Three weeks ago." She wanted to ask Brock a question, but she couldn't find her words. Blushing, she finally blurted her question in a rush. "Could I have a practice battle?"

Brock let out an airy chuckle. "I would be honored."

Liana grinned in excitement as she and Brock stepped just of the road and set down their bags. "You ready, Cyndaquil?" From beside her, Cyndaquil made a sharp yip and raced a few paces in front of her.

Brock only smiled in turn. "Now, come on out Bonsly." The Pokemon was small, hardly bigger than Cyndaquil, and had the look of a baby tree. It was brown in color, like wood bark, and had three green tufts sprouting from its head. Liana took out her PokeDex to identify the new Pokemon. _**Bonsly, the Bonsai Pokemon**__**. In order to adjust the level of fluids in its body, it exudes water from its eyes. This makes it appear to be crying.**_

"Bonsly." Liana clarified for herself. "And it's a rock-type Pokemon, too." She returned her PokeDex in her back pocket. "Cyndaquil, Ember." Cyndaquil complied and shot flames toward Brock's Bonsly.

"Dodge it, Bonsly!" Brock called to his Pokemon. The little Bonsly easily leapt out of the way.

"Again, Cyndaquil. Ember."

"Bonsly. Mimic."

Liana watched in fascination as the little _rock-type _Pokemon used Ember at the same time as her Cyndaquil. The two attacks collided and flared out from the point of impact, with the Bonsly's Ember doing more so. She saw Cyndaquil get slightly buffed by the opposing flames. She bit her lip. _Ember is the only move that could really damage Bonsly. But now that's been turned near useless._

She waited too long to counter; Brock had already ordered another attack. "Bonsly, use Rock Throw."

Liana gasped. "Cyndaquil, move out of the way!" She cried.

Cyndaquil started at a dash, but fell just to slow as one of the rocks knocked her off her feet. Liana panicked, she'd forgotten that if Cyndaquil had used Quick Attack to dodge, it would have been more effective. _How could I be so forgetful?!_

"Now, Bonsly, finish it with Low Kick!"

"Cyndaquil, use Quick Attack to dodge!" Liana ordered more surely than last time. But Cyndaquil was still jarred from the Rock Throw and barely got to her feet when Brock's Bonsly slid on its side with its little foot outstretched, knocking right into her. Cyndaquil was knocked back again, rolling sideways over the flat grass, until she landed just feet away from Liana. Liana wanted to get Cyndaquil up and moving again, but it didn't seem like she should continue the battle.

But Brock ended it for her. "That's enough for now."

Liana sighed heavily and went to Cyndaquil, gathering her up in her arms. "Are you okay, Cyndaquil?" Her little Pokemon gave a tired yip, still trying to be a bit enthusiastic. Liana smiled and scratched her sweet spot in the middle of her back. Cyndaquil sighed.

Brock approached her and Cyndaquil, already having called his Bonsly back. "So, what did you see here?"

Liana bit her lip, not even having to think about what she did wrong. "I was terribly overwhelmed and I panicked." She half grumbled.

Brock chuckled. "You're a first-time trainer; you have a right to panic." He knelt down to face Cyndaquil, pulling a berry out of his pocket and offering it to her, which she gobbled greedily. "But you can't forget about your Pokemon. If you panic, then you're letting them down. When in battle, remember your Pokemon, they know what to do in the heat of things, so let that instinct guide you as well."

Liana nodded, rising to her feet with Cyndaquil still in her arms. Brock rose as well, moving toward where their packs were set. "I'll see you around." Brock said. "You have promise; don't forget that."

Liana felt herself smile at the words and a sense of elation filled her. Despite her loss, she would learn. And she would grow ever stronger.

* * *

**Hoped you like!**

**With the charm bracelets, there's nothing all that special about them other than sentiment. I love jewelry and I had recently fished out my old charm bracelets from elementary school and thought of just how it could be incorporated memories are the real concept, I can remember each and every charm and where I got them.  
**

**And Liana's practice match with Brock, that was inspired by Before the Fame, though I really liked the thought of having a match for Liana. It gave her a real taste to what she's getting into and she's gonna be thinking very hard before she goes to challenge Falkner for her first badge. Also, I wanted Brock to be shone in a better light(inspired actually be Pokemon: Origins)** **and not the complete goof in the anime. Brock needs more love!**


End file.
